Index Archive

23 September 2013

Supreme Court Aadhaar Card voluntary not mandatory to get services
Aadhaar card registration should remain purely voluntary.
No government agency can deny service over Aadhaar card
Supreme Court today directed all the state Governments and Centre that Aadhaar card should not be mandatory requirement for government services
SC orders governments not to issue Aadhaar cards to illegal migrants and non-citizens.

A bench of Justices BS Chauhan and SA Bobde said, "The Centre and state governments must not insist on Aadhar cards from citizens before providing them essential services."

The Supreme court passed the order in response to a PIL pleading it to examine the "voluntary" nature of the Aadhaar cards. The PIL was filed by Justice KS Puttaswamy, a retired judge of the Karnataka High Court

Petitioner in his plea said asked thatThe scheme is complete infraction of Fundamental Rights under Articles 14 (right to equality) and 21 (right to life and liberty). The government claims that the scheme is voluntary but it is not so. Aadhaar is being made mandatory for purposes like registration of marriages and others. Maharashtra government has recently said no marriage will be registered if parties don't have Aadhaar cards,"

The petitioner asserted that the issue required a meticulous judicial examination by the Bench since it raised questions not only over the government's authority to implement the scheme, but also highlighted the perils of the manner of its implementation.

the Supreme Court today said that the registration for the identity card was purely voluntary and government departments could not demand the card in order to provide a service.